Taking God on Vacation

Editorial Note: Today the Rev. Jarrett Kerbel leaves on the youth pilgrimage to Guatemala with a team of two additional adults and eight teens and young adults. Please pray for them in their travels and for safe return at the end of the month. In the meantime, we present a series of guest posts beginning with this one from our newest Deacon, the Rev. Barb Ballenger.

When I was a kid, camping was the family vacation of choice. We had a large Coleman tent that fit five of us like sardines, and a separate awning to create a dining area. My dad had crafted a camp box that held all the camp kitchen essentials, from minute rice to marshmallow forks. To this day the smell of canvas and wood smoke or the taste of Tang can make me feel at least 40 years younger. 

These trips were often long weekends in Ohio state parks; though sometimes they were multi-state excursions of a week or so. They would inevitably include a Sunday and my mom would make sure that we went to church. 

I remember them as a blur of tiny, clapboard rural Catholic churches. The smells would be different from what I was used to, the layout strange, the pews different from the large suburban church we attended at home. Occasionally we would find ourselves at a campground service, seated on cut logs in the amphitheater where we had watched “Charlie the Lonesome Cougar” the night before. 

My mother saw to it that we were a weekly church-going family, and vacation was no exception. Looking back, it was one of the few times we visited other churches, where we got a chance to explore how others marked their Sabbath, sang their songs, or arranged their donuts during coffee hour.  

There is something about summer that changes the feel of church-going. Trips, camps, even just a little time off, can slow things down or break things up when it comes to our Sunday practice. This change of pace can be an opportunity to do some spiritual exploring. For families, visiting other churches during trips can be a conversation starter about faith and religious preferences. What was the same? What was different? What did it feel like to be a visitor? Was I welcome? Did I find God there? These are good insights to bring back to your regular church experience. They are good questions to ask on any Sunday.

If summer vacation offers you the luxury of a quiet morning, consider it an invitation to explore prayer in a new way. Bring a Book of Common Prayer along (or download an app from Apple or Google) and pray morning prayer  with a cup of coffee nearby, or read the psalms to the rhythm of ocean waves or the song of gulls. Even just sitting on a familiar back patio in the presence of a garden box or hanging flowers can extend summer’s invitation to contemplate a God that reveals the divine self through the scents of flowers, the hum of bees, or the distraction of humming bird or mosquito whine. 

This summer, let your time away or your time to yourself be opportunities to rest with the Spirit and delight in the places where God waits for you. When you make it back to St. Martin’s, I’d love to see the pictures. 

Blessings,

The Rev. Barb Ballenger

Deacon and Associate for Spiritual Formation and Care

Editorial: Here are some resources to get you started!

• Find an Episcopal Church near you -- https://www.episcopalchurch.org/find-a-church
• Forward Day by Day - These quarterly booklets offer daily scripture and reflections that fit in a pocket or purse. Copies are available in the back of the church or on the table and in the rack in the Parish House lobby. Donations are welcome. Want an app for that? Download the Forward Day by Day app for your smartphone.
• The Daily Office from the Mission of St. Clare --  https://www.missionstclare.com/english/ -- gives you all you need for the prayers of the Episcopal Daily Office, including songs.
• Listen to Presiding Bishop Michael Curry's Way of Love podcasts, with new episodes posted each Tuesday -- https://wayoflove.episcopalchurch.org/
• Bible Lens app by YouVersion -- Bible Lens “transforms your everyday photos into profound, Biblically-based artistic shareable images.” Take a photo of the places that you are finding God on vacation, and then open them in Bible Lens to see them paired with Bible verses that match!
• Find the Episcopal saint of the day -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calendar_of_saints_(Episcopal_Church)#July

Good News! Christian Primacy is Over

A sermon I heard on a podcast was very helpful to me and I want to share it with you. Good news always wants to be shared.

The preacher - Timothy Keller* of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, New York City - took the first three chapters of the Book of Daniel as his text. This book tells the story of its namesake and his Hebrew companions as they make their way during exile in the sadistic and dangerous kingdom of Babylon.

Keller’s first point is about displacement. The Hebrew elite have been transported to an alien land where they are surrounded by a polytheistic and hedonistic culture. Where before they lived in Jerusalem in a culture that fully supported their religious belief and practice, they have now been stripped of that external reinforcement. They can choose other gods.

Losing cultural primacy is God’s gift to God’s chosen people, says Keller. The challenge to the faithful is to live in a strange land while refusing assimilation or separatism, to remain faithful to the one true God while praying for the city where they find themselves.

Christianity has lost cultural primacy in North America. Thanks be to God! Like Daniel and his companions we find ourselves between the temptation to fully assimilate - putting our faith in all the other gods our consumer culture offers - and the temptation to withdraw into a religious privatism - where our faith is a private matter with no message for the world around us - on the other. Keller believes, and so do I, that the best possible place for folks who want to follow Christ is to be caught in this tension.

The death of the Sabbath is only one symptom of the change that is underway. Church is only one option among many on any given Sunday morning. Leaf blowers and lawn mowers at the Cricket Club intrude on the peace of our 8 a.m. worship. Motorcycles rev and scream past the church on Sunday morning. The culture has lost all reverence for the sabbath.

And this is Good News! Sabbath worship is set free to be what it is, fully counter-cultural, a practice that contravenes the dominant transactional culture around us. To attend worship means making a choice and paying a price. Because there are other things one could be doing with valuable time, worship is what it was meant to be - a sacrifice.

We make a sacrifice of thanksgiving in worship. We come not just to get something out of the “experience” of worship (a very modern notion). We come because we owe this sacrifice of thanksgiving to our great God who has given us everything. We come because we want to give witness to the world that God is love. We come because we want to support our neighbor who worships with us, adding our prayers and presence to encourage each other in faith. We come not only to get, we come to give back.

Blessings,
The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel
Rector


*Rev. Keller and I do not agree on all things. Even though I have key disagreements I can still learn from him in other areas like the one I share today. I refuse to join the “cancel culture” which reduces every person to the sum of their worst day or worst opinion and then discards everything else they say or do as tainted. We are all sinners and we have all fallen short! The “cancel culture” principle would leave us in a wasteland of condemned and discarded neighbors.

Ordination to the Transitional Diaconate: What are we celebrating, exactly?

This week the Rector's Note has been turned over to Barb Ballenger, our Associate for Spiritual Formation and Care.

On June 8, Laura Palmer and I will be ordained to the transitional diaconate, a ministry that lies between our work as lay people and our future as Episcopal priests. For those in the priesthood process in the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, this ordination occurs about six months before priestly ordination.


Many have asked about the difference between a transitional deacon and a permanent deacon, such as the Rev. Carol Duncan. It’s a good question, and the answer reflects several hundred years of conflicted church practice.

In his article “Lifting up the Servants of God: The Deacon, Servant Ministry, and the Future of the Church”, Thomas Ferguson explains that the sacred order of deacons is the church’s oldest ordained ministry. Acts 6:3-4 recounts how the Apostles delegated the first deacons to oversee table fellowship in order to make sure Greek widows and orphans were treated justly in the early Christian community. That focus on service to the poor and assistance to the bishop marked the diaconate for about three hundred years.

With Christianity’s new-found legitimacy after the conversion of Constantine, the church took on the deeply hierarchical structures of Roman society. A series of sub-orders developed that Clerics-in-training passed through on their way to ordination, from doorkeeper to exorcist to lector to subdeacon. The diaconate, which was originally its own order with its own particular ministry, was folded into this succession. For several hundred years it lost its early singularity. Even so, there were important exceptions in monastic communities, Ferguson writes, noting that St. Francis of Assisi, was a deacon throughout his life as a friar.


In the 20th century, Christian churches recognized the need for ordained ministers that served vulnerable people, and the distinctive ministry of the diaconate as a holy order was reclaimed in the Lutheran, Catholic, and Anglican churches. The permanent diaconate was restored throughout the churches of the Anglican Communion in 1968.

Meanwhile, as the various suborders that made up the path to priestly ordination fell away over time, the transitional diaconate remained part of the path to priesthood. As a result, the church now ordains two kinds of deacons in the same ordination liturgy. It’s in that liturgy, specifically in the “examination”, that we can best discover what the deacon is ordained to do.

“My sister,” the bishop will say, “every Christian is called to follow Jesus Christ …. God now calls you to a special ministry of servanthood directly under your bishop. In the name of Jesus Christ, you are to serve all people, particularly the poor, the weak, the sick, and the lonely.”

Then the bishop will commend us to do the following:

• Study the Scriptures and model our lives upon them;
• make Christ known to the world, by word and example;
• bring the “needs, concerns, and hopes of the world” to the attention of the church;
• assist the bishop and the priest in public worship;
• and all other duties as assigned.

But most importantly, the bishop will say: “At all times, your life and teaching are to show Christ’s people that in serving the helpless they are serving Christ himself.”

For me, this last statement captures well how this period in which we practice diaconal ministry will shape the ministry of our priesthood. While priests and deacons practice their ministry “to represent Christ and the Church” in different ways, this fundamental call to serve the most vulnerable is an essential charism of ordination. We do not lay it down with priestly ordination, just as bishops do not lay down their priesthood when they are ordained.

At the same time, the ministerial roles among the three orders of deacon, priest, and bishop do differ significantly. Ferguson offers a helpful way to think about these orders of ministry by considering where they are located in the church. The bishop serves from the center of the local church, or diocese, leading this regional community in its practice of the faith as the people of God in worship and the Body of Christ in practice. The priest serves from the center of the parish faith community, leading it in living out its common identity as part of the wider people of God. The deacon serves from the edge of the community, leading the Body of Christ into its work in the world.

For the next six months or so we transitional deacons will be practicing leadership from the church’s edge, inviting its members to step intentionally into the world as representatives of Christ. It is a perspective that should ever orient us and ground us in the direction that Christ always walks in the world.

In Christ,
Barb Ballenger
Associate for Spiritual Formation and Care

Laura Palmer and Barb Ballenger will be ordained to the diaconate on Saturday, June 8, at 10:00 a.m. at the Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral, 19 S. 38th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104. The ordination is open to all. Complimentary parking is available at Laz Parking, 39th and Market Street, entrance on 39th Street. Click here for directions and public transit options.


For further reading:
“Lifting Up the Servants of God: The Deacon, Servant Ministry, and the Future of the Church” by Dr. Thomas Ferguson. Found on the website of the School for Deacons, an educational institution of the Diocese of California, sfd.org.

In The Book of Common Prayer see “The Ordination of a Deacon” (p. 537-547) and the catechism (p. 855-856) for our liturgy and teaching around the ministry of the deacon.

Get on the Bus!

For eight years we have worked on full, fair funding for the public schools of Pennsylvania. We won a big victory two years ago when we convinced Harrisburg to use the full, fair funding formula on all new money allocated for public schools in the Commonwealth. 6% of state funding is now distributed justly. Our next goal is 100%, a change that will bring $1,800 per student to Philadelphia public schools, not to mention Reading, Allentown, Harrisburg, etc. 

On June 12 a bus will depart from St. Martin’s to the State Capitol, full of citizens concerned about public school excellence. Our goal is that 25 members of St. Martin’s will be on the bus reflecting our deep, long-term commitment. Please talk to Deacon Carol Duncan or me for more information and sign up on POWER's website.

St. Martin’s has a lot at stake in this funding struggle. More families will stay in Philadelphia when their children hit school age when the schools reach their potential. More families who stay in Philadelphia will have more free time and resources for other things without the demands of the private schools. Our members will invest more in the neighborhood as property values increase in proportion to the desirability of our schools. 

The church is committed to this struggle not only because we believe in equity, equal opportunity, and the inherent dignity of every human being, but also because we have a real self-interested stake in the outcome. I hope you will join me and at least 24 other church members on the bus to Harrisburg. There, we will join thousands of other citizens exercising our duty and right to shape our Commonwealth into a just society. 

The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel

Rector

Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Episcopal

The Right Use of Moral Vision and Power

"The church is called to be engaged — to lend voice, moral authority, resources, and organized effort — to resist evil and to reorder our common life in ways that protect the most vulnerable and enhance human dignity for all people."  

- The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel from his blog post on gerrymandering

That is what I believe. What do you believe? Bring that belief to forum this Sunday as we explore the ways our church could be or should be involved in advocacy in the public square.

As a church we have a moral vision. As a church we have power. Most people agree immediately with the first statement and then become hesitant when it comes to the second. As an organized body we have people power, financial power, and spiritual power. Ideally, all three work together to shape our life together into the Body of Christ, and our surrounding community into a place of justice, peace, and flourishing approximating the vision of God for God’s world.

Peter Singer - professor of moral philosophy at Princeton University - uses “the drowning man test” to make us reflect on our power and responsibility. If you are hiking along a lake and you come across a man drowning in the water and you have the ability to swim or at least use your cell phone and yet you do nothing to help him, we would all agree that you are morally blameworthy if he is injured or dies. To observe distress and danger and to do nothing, even when you have the capability - i.e. the power - is to sin by omission, and to incur guilt.

As a church, we have power, a moral vision, and accountability before our God. Learning to exercise our voice and vision in faithful, appropriate action is certainly a learning curve. I would rather risk it than to not have an answer for God when I am asked why my brothers and sisters suffered and I did nothing.

Blessings,

The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel

Rector

Parish Forum on Sunday, March 31:

Clarifying St. Martin’s Community Engagement Causes - Part 2

Led by the Rev. Jarrett Kerbel and the Community Engagement committee
This week the Rev. Kerbel resumes his discussion on the work done by the community engagement committee and the parish to clarify our causes. Jarrett will review the causes named but this time we’ll dig a little deeper. This week we will gauge the range of comfort levels the congregation has to advocate for these causes. What do you think the church should advocate for? Should we limit ourselves to church discussions and/or participate with others? Are you willing to write a letter, lobby an elected official, run for office, march for the cause, get arrested, or like or share a Facebook post? These are a few sample questions that we’ll act on and discuss at this forum. Wear comfy shoes as we walk around the parish hall to find out how willing we are to move for our causes.

Have I Told You About My Diet?

The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel

Erik Meyer, our music director, told me a great joke: An atheist, a vegan, and a cross-fitter walk into a bar. How do I know? Because they told everyone within two minutes of entering the place.

The joke was told because the staff and I were talking about the zeal with which people share what diet they are on. There are some things people love to share; diets, vacation locations, good books, good movies, and the list goes on.

“Imagine if folks shared about Jesus as much as they shared about their diet?” I wondered out loud eliciting warm laughter around the staff lunch table.

Clearly we are more comfortable on the topic of food than discussing our relationship with “the true bread that come down from heaven.” Why is that? Diets are scientific, you might say. Diets make me feel good, you might say. Diets address things we all share in common, you might say.

The faddish quality of diets makes me doubt the first objection. The second objection makes me wonder if our relationship with God also makes us feel good? For the third, if our faith does not address things we share in common, then what good is it?

So what is it? I would propose that elite cultural despisers (Schleiermacher's term, not mine) have taught us to be ashamed to admit we are people of faith. Every time I study the Bible I hear a voice in my head saying, “Only stupid people read the Bible!” Lord deliver us from “sitting in the seats of the scornful (Psalm 1),” I pray. In addition, some of the loudest voices of Christianity today are repellant and I completely understand people wanting to avoid an association with that version of the faith. Finally, it is hard to overestimate the damage the sexual abuse scandals in the Roman Church and now the Southern Baptist Convention rightfully does to the reputation of the church. If I risk opening my mouth about God’s love, will I be forced to give a long defense for everything Christianity has done wrong?

The onus is on us to find a reasonable account of the faith that is in us. The time is ripe for us to learn this skill. In fact, it is crucial. Our approach to the faith needs to be represented because it brings liberation to the oppressed, good news to the poor, release to the captive, and loving embrace to the outcast. When we avoid representing a sober and reasonable faith in the world we leave the most vulnerable in the hands of the most vicious.

How do we start? We practice. Try it out with someone you trust and love. Explore the words that best describe your experience of God even if it means bumbling and stumbling and babbling for a bit. Identify what you might need to learn to better articulate what you believe. Talk to the clergy if you feel like you have this gift or an opportunity to try it. We will help and we are learning too!

The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel
Rector

What's your experience of God? What story would you share with others? Tell us in the comments below!

The Empty Wagon is the Noisiest

The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel

Nothing rattles quite so loudly as an empty wagon. That folk wisdom came to me through the song “Little America” by REM, my favorite band from 1983 to the present. Much to my frustration, the Christianity I love and depend on for my sanity, sobriety, and hope is too often misrepresented by the loudest, most clamorous and hateful voices today. As a church striving to be faithful to the steadfast way of Jesus Christ, it is appalling that one of our greatest afflictions is the chorus of all those who misrepresent him loudly.

Why is it difficult to pass the faith on to our children? One reason, among others, it that the amplified voice of right-wing Christianity has them convinced that all christians hate LGBTQ people, want women to be subservient, deny climate change, blame the poor for their suffering, and support white supremacy. If your daily media diet is flooded by bullying voices and their often stridently simplistic opponents, then why would you risk the company of Christians in the first place?

So how do we stand up to the playground bullies of Christianity?

The Bible is a good place to start. “If I do not have love I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal,” (1 Cor. 13:2) Apply the love test. Is it love or is it aggression? Is it love or is it the noise of a rear-guard fight against cultural change and the loss of privilege? Yes, some Christian traditions are being discarded and for some that feels like a fearful loss of power and position. For me, I see us discarding oppression and returning our faith to its roots in liberating love. As a white, upper-middle class, cisgender man I find this disconcerting and disorienting. But as a man of faith, I embrace the loss as the way Christ proscribes for me, “You must lose your life to find it.”

The danger of the moment is increased by noisy gongs and clanging cymbals on the liberal Christian side too. It seems to me at times that liberal Christians are so zealous in skepticism and deconstruction of the tradition that they leave us no place to stand and resist. If we destroy our moral source and framework entirely, who are we to challenge any other (supposedly) equally valid point of view? You will never hear me describe myself as “liberal” Christian for this very reason. Our tradition and scripture deconstruct me more than I them.

I certainly do not want to live in a world without the faithful, long-suffering, and steadfast church of Jesus Christ. At our best we are the moral ballast that reins in our worst collective impulses toward greed, revenge, and domination. At our best we propose an alternative world order that resists the amoral gyrations of unrestrained free markets, even when we are not sure how to completely replace capitalism with something more just.

“If it is not about love it is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” says our Presiding Bishop, Michael Curry. Filling our wagons with love is how we end the clanging and rattling and begin to ground our moral positions in their true and trustworthy source, Jesus Christ. What if we spoke about the love that drew us to a position of advocacy before we start to shout?

The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel
Rector

Over My Head

The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel

Swimming in the deep end was a rite of passage in my childhood. When could I swim well enough to slip under the floating line into the deep water where the big kids swam? On that special day when permission was given - when I graduated from the “guppy” swim class to be a “fish” - courage was summoned. Tiptoes pushed off into the mystery of swimming where I could sink twelve feet down. Confidence came from risking it. Comfort slowly followed as anxiety faded in the joy of play.

Moving into the deep end, getting in over my head, happens again and again in life. As a leader, I am not sure I am allowed to admit when I am over my head. But as a faith leader, over my head is just a fact of life. With God we are always in over our head. God is always drawing us into the deeper water of God’s mysterious inner life, so life in faith (i.e. trusting and living in Christ) will always return us to the status of beginner, learner, guppy.

One way I know that St. Martin’s is heading in the right direction is that I feel my competence challenged. I feel like I am in over my head. That is a good indication that we are in the realm of faith. Our Becoming Beloved Community work reminds me all the time that I am a beginner even though I have done anti-racism training for 20+ years. Dismantling the imprint our racist culture has put in my soul and psyche is a startlingly deep task.

In fact, I would like to suggest that the illusion of competence and confidence I carry as my “birthright” as a white male are products of unearned and unreflective privilege. So healing from racism for me will entail acknowledging this, and then risking incompetence and disorientation. Faith draws me into this in the hope that God’s will is to heal me and draw me into a more whole version of myself, stripped of the marks of sin.

Leadership means inviting you to go with me on this uncomfortable and disorientating journey of faith. You won’t be able to look to me for answers because I am in this struggle with you. We can, however, look to each other for goodwill, support, prayer, and compassion as we do some hard learning together.

Blessings,
The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel
Rector

Editor's Note: 
On Sunday, March 3 at our 9:15 a.m. parish forum is an opportunity for us all to discuss this journey together during "Talking Beloved Community" with our Becoming Beloved Community team. Read more here.

Associate Rector’s Note: Where in the world is the Rev. Anne on Second Sundays?

The Rev. Anne Thatcher

Dear St. Martin’s,

You may or may not know that, prior to answering a call to St. Martin’s, I served a Spanish- and English-speaking congregation in Santa Ana, California. The growth of worship services in Spanish in the Episcopal Church continues across the nation and our diocese is no exception. Unfortunately, the number of clergy who are fluent enough to preach and celebrate the Eucharist in Spanish is limited. Due to this clergy shortage, churches with a Eucharist in Spanish within our diocese are often challenged with finding leadership for Sunday worship. 

Free Church of St. John in Kensington is one such congregation. In November of 2018, their vicar, the Rev. David Franceschi-Faccio, returned to Puerto Rico. For the interim, the Diocese of Pennsylvania Office of Transition Ministry has asked me to serve on the second Sunday of each month as the celebrant and preacher for their 11:15 a.m. Sunday Eucharist in Spanish. Free Church is a congregation comprised of both English- and Spanish-speaking members, with deep roots in the local Mexican and Puerto Rican community. This is a service full of joyous music with guitar accompaniment.

I will still be here until mid-morning on second Sundays to connect with you all, and then I will drive down to Free Church. I encourage you to consider visiting and worshipping with us on a second Sunday in the coming months. Their address is 3076 Emerald St., Philadelphia, 19134. Experiencing the Eucharist in another language is a way to begin to understand how worship both transcends and distinctly represents different cultures. You would be welcome to carpool with me to the church and back. I am also available to talk with you in more detail about this church and their engagement in the local community of Kensington.

In the coming months, I will share updates about the Free Church community.


Blessings for 2019,

The Rev. Anne Thatcher
Associate Rector

Aesthetic, Ethical, or Religious?

The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel

I apologize in advance that this Rector’s Note is rooted in the writings of Soren Kierkegaard. On sabbatical in the library at Princeton Theological Seminary, I renewed my love for this Danish philosopher and spiritual writer. Kierkegaard observed that the spiritual life moves through three phases; the aesthetic, the ethical, and the religious. 

Episcopalians famously flock to the first and the second phase. The aesthetic phase is all about our enjoyment of beauty. Music, art, liturgy, poetry and literature all contribute to our immediate aesthetic experience of pleasure. Kierkegaard states - and I agree - that all of these experiences are good except when they are treated as ultimate goods in their own right. Pleasure in beauty serves its full function when it leads us to transcend ourselves toward God in praise and thanksgiving.

The ethical phase concerns ordering and shaping our lives toward right action. Many mainline Christians would identify with this phase. We want to live a good life and make good decisions and contribute to the common good. The odd problem with the ethical phase is that often we merely import our existing commitments and sprinkle the holy water of the church on them, rather than derive them from the teachings of Jesus. Liberal Christianity - which is practiced by the whole range of political stripes - goes even further and says that doubt prevents us from making any ethical claims based on our faith. More on this in my next note!

Finally, we have the religious phase. This is the phase where we orient our whole life toward relationship and ultimately union with God. Our preoccupation with self goes on the back burner and we seek God as our ultimate end. All else becomes secondary to the unmatched importance of our dependence on God. Through prayer, worship, sacrament, service, study, conversation, and contemplation we strive to accept God’s invitation to participate in God’s life. 

In my experience, this last phase is most difficult because we resist dependence and we resist submission. The gateway to God is trust and devotion to the God we know in Jesus through the Gospels. For many modern people this feels foolish and embarrassing. While I know those feelings, my life has only grown healthier and more honest, the more I put myself under the teachings of Jesus. When we embrace the religious path, we receive the aesthetic and the ethical again in a new way, with freedom, love, hope, and endurance to fuel our enjoyment and our ethical striving.

Blessings,
The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel
Rector

Interim Rector's Note: The Blessing of the Pets

Editor's Note: Since this is Rev. Kerbel’s first week back, Rev. Taylor was gracious enough to leave us one more post from her for us to use this week. Today is St. Francis' Day and by our tradition, we'll be offering pet blessings on Sunday, October 7. We have two times and locations for you: here at St. Martin’s at 12:30 p.m., and at Pastorius Park at 1:30 p.m.

The Rev. Phyllis Taylor

When I was a child we had a dog named Trigger. He wasn’t much to look at and he wasn’t terribly clever, but we loved him. He was our dog.

He was willing to play with us, and he would take on just about any role we assigned him. He would wear a baby bonnet and lie on his back in a doll stroller while my friends and I walked him around the block. He would allow my brother to strap a holster and six-shooter around his middle and he would mosey out with “the boys” to clear the neighborhood of outlaws. He was a good sport.
He was a great support. He would walk alongside me while I delivered the newspapers on my paper route. In the winter, it was dark and cold and often snowing (it was Canada, after all) but Trigger still kept me company, block after block. He was a faithful friend.

He was a good listener and dear comforter. He always knew when we needed a cuddle. Many a time his fur was soaked with tears as we poured out our childhood troubles to him. He accepted everything we had to tell him without judgment.

Our dog taught me a lot about God.

Years after Trigger had gone to Doggie Heaven, I took my first confirmation class on a retreat to the convent the Sisters of Saint Margaret had in Germantown. Some of the children were shy. Some were a bit leery about staying overnight in a convent with nuns. Some were less than enthusiastic about a “retreat” with all that religious stuff.

When we rang the doorbell, however, it was answered by a nun and a dog. A big, soft, smiley, retriever sort of dog. He wagged his tail in greeting. He followed the children around, joined them for a movie, mooched a few snacks during their discussion. When it was time for each of the chapel services, the dog came too. He flopped down near the altar and listened to the prayers and the readings and the singing. It seemed perfectly appropriate.

That convent dog taught the children a lot about God.

I’m glad that this Sunday the people of St. Martin’s are bringing their beloved pets to be blessed. Their animals bless them every day. It’s time to stand together, human and animal, and thank God for all the blessings we are to one another.

In the words of St. Francis, “All creatures of our God and King, lift up your voices, let us sing: Alleluia, alleluia!”

Blessings,
The Rev. Phyllis Taylor
Interim Rector

Interim Rector’s Note: Goodbye and God bless

Rev. Phyllis Taylor

This Sunday, September 30, will be my last Sunday with you. We’ve been together less than three months, but how I’ll miss you!

My soul will miss the worship. I’ll miss participating in the lay-led services of Morning Prayer on early weekday mornings in the Mary chapel, then sitting there in silence in God’s presence with the meditation group. I’ll miss coming into the church first thing Sunday mornings and being awed each time by the holiness of the space and the care with which it has been prepared: flowers beautifully chosen and arranged, trays set out for each service with home-baked bread and snowy fresh linen, and bulletins and Field Notes arranged in baskets. I’ll miss sharing the leadership of worship with so many people so reverently prepared – acolytes, lectors, intercessors, Eucharistic ministers, ushers, and preachers. How stimulating it has been to hear the gospel preached in different voices; how much my soul has needed to hear what each had to say. And, oh, the heavenly music! Singers, instrumentalists, that gorgeous organ, and now the famous choir. The music here has warmed the cockles of my soul.

My heart will miss the people. The innocent faces of the little children at the worship.together services, and the creativity and energy of the school-age children at VBS. I’ll miss the kind and friendly faces greeting me and one another at the door after the service. I’ll miss the faithful shut-ins for whom St. Martin’s will always be their spiritual home. I’ll miss the workers of the parish who sit through long meetings deliberating on the nuts and bolts of parish life with grace and humor.

My mind will miss the stimulation of being with people with a passion for learning about their faith. So many are in the Biblical Study groups, the EFM group, the reading group! It’s like being back in seminary. I learn something every day.

My strength will miss the energy with which the congregation cares for one another and for the wider community. I’ll miss the hugs and prayers for one another during the liturgy. I’ll miss the announcements about training for Stephen Ministers and voter engagement, retreats on climate change, plans for Becoming Beloved Community. I’ll miss the astonishing energy of the choppers and cooks and servers at the Wednesday SUPPER at St. Martin’s. I’ll miss meeting with the staff to brain-storm how to get done what needs to be done to support the ministries that make up St. Martin’s mission. Their creativity and enthusiasm inspire me.

Thanks for the opportunity to be part of your community. I have been truly blessed by my time with you.

Blessings,
Rev. Phyllis Taylor


Editor’s Note: We will all miss your spirit here as well, Phyllis! Thank you for your time with us. Next week, our Rector, Rev. Jarrett Kerbel will return from his sabbatical. Please pray for him, the staff, and all of you, the parish of St. Martin’s, as we are reunited after this time apart. We are so grateful that, with your help, we are already in the midst of a vibrant start to our fall season.

Associate Rector's Note: Stephen Ministry

Rev. Anne Thatcher

In early August I attended a Stephen Ministry Leader’s training in Pittsburgh. You may or may not be aware that St. Martin’s is a Stephen Ministry congregation and has been since 2006. What does that mean and why is this important? We are a large parish and while Jarrett and I would love to be able to visit all of you, and be present each time you have a significant life event, we are not always able to do so. In addition, while we may be there at the beginning, we know that life changes can take a considerable amount of time to work through. Ongoing support during that time is very important.

This is where Stephen Ministry plays a role. Our Stephen Ministers go through fifty hours of training in how to be a Christ-centered, listening caregiver for anyone who is experiencing changes in life: grief, loneliness, engagement, divorce, disability, pregnancy, marriage, job loss, or any other significant events. Each Stephen Minister is confidentially assigned a care receiver who has asked for support. The two meet together or talk on the phone on a regular basis as determined by the needs of the care receiver. Some pairs meet for a few months, others may meet for a year or two depending on the support needs of the care receiver. This caring relationship is confidential, between the Stephen Minister and their care receiver only. Stephen Ministers do not replace the role of the clergy; rather they support and provide additional presence to members of St. Martin’s community. We currently have twelve Stephen Ministers and we are in the process of training three more.

We are blessed to have this robust ministry at St. Martin’s. This ministry is here for each and every one of you. To learn how to become a Stephen Minister—or receive care from one—contact me (Rev. Anne). My door is always open.

Blessings,

Rev. Anne

athatcher@stmartinec.org

215.247.7466 x105

Kairos: Christian Formation for Children & Youth - Fall 2018 updates

Dear Parents,

Kairos, St. Martin's faith formation program for children and youth, starts up this month. Here's what's new, how to register and what to expect.

New Time: 9:15 on Sunday mornings

Formation Hour, including our classes for children in grades 1 to 8, will begin Sunday, September 23, from 9:15 to 10:15 a.m. That's the hour between the 8 a.m. service and the new 10:30 a.m. service. (Learn more about the new worship schedule here.)

Kairos programs are free, but registration is required. Please sign up by Wednesday, September 19, so we can plan for class sizes.

An hour for everyone -- including parents

• For kids in grades 1-8: Three Kairos classes offer fun, interactive learning that engage children in the faith -- elementary (grades 1-4), middle-school (grades 5-6), and Jr. High (grades 7-8.)
• For adults and high school youth: During that same hour, Parish Forum in the Parish Hall features local and national presenters who engage faith in action on a more mature level. Parenting in Faith, a forum for parents to talk about faith in the family, will be held monthly in the Mary Chapel, also during the 9:15 hour.
• For preschoolers and their families: worship.together, a full-Eucharist for families of young children, will continue every Sunday in the church at 9:15 a.m., followed by a reception in the Houston Room.

High School youth meet twice a month, starting Oct. 14 

Our pastor, the Rev. Jarrett Kerbel, will be anchoring youth ministry for our high school-aged students (youth in grades 9-12). The first meeting, Sunday, October 14 at noon, will invite teens to vision and plan the year over lunch with Rev. Jarrett in the library. The group is scheduled to meet the second and fourth Sundays of each month from noon to 2 p.m., making room for potential road trips, diocesan activities, service projects, and more. Use the Kairos registration form to sign up.

Learn more about Kairos and Faith Formation Sunday, Sept. 16

When it comes to faith, what do your children wonder about? What would you, personally, like to learn more about? Parish leaders from Kairos, Biblical Studies, Education for Ministry, Parish Forum and more will be on hand as part of "I Wonder Sunday", from 9:15 to 10:15 a.m. on September 16.This engaging hour will offer parishioners of all ages a unique way to explore the various faith formation opportunities available to them on Sunday mornings and beyond.

Have Questions? Want to volunteer?

Please contact me if you have thoughts or questions about St. Martin's ministry to children, youth, and families at bballenger@stmartinec.org, or call 215.247.7466. If you'd like to volunteer to support our programs, let me know and we'll talk. And you can sign up here.

I'm excited to be heading up our ministry to children, youth, and families, and look forward to working with you this program year!

Peace,

Barb Ballenger

Associate for Spiritual Formation and Care

From the Deacon's Desk: Updating Voter Registration and Polling Locations

Deacon Carol Duncan

Updating your Voter Registration and Finding Your Polling Place

This fall, St. Martin’s is focused on voter registration and poll access. (Don't forget to scroll to the bottom of this article to see how you can help!) Our goal is that 100% of St. Martin’s members who are eligible to vote are registered and that 100% turn out at the polls on November 6. To that end, we have two options for voter registration. POWER has an option for which we will soon provide parish-wide training. They have promised to have a phone app to register instantly online. In the meantime…

The Episcopal Public Policy Network (EPPN) also has an option. First time registrants must print out the form and mail it in because the government needs your signature. So do it NOW. October 9 is the last day to register. First time voters (like Margaret Horvat and all other just-turned-18ers) remember to bring photo ID to the polls.

Here is how to update your registration (name or address change) or find your polling information through EPPN:

Beneath the top image scroll, and below the 5 Priority Areas (with circles to represent each area) is the Episcopalians Vote section. Top of the list is “Register to vote!” Click on that, and then select your state from the drop down, and then click the red “Find out how to register” button. You are taken to an option to “Start your online registration”. Have your driver’s license handy. Fill in the registration. Tick the box for a change of name or address or party. Scroll down to fill in your previous name or address. Make sure to check the confirmation button toward the end. Also the “I’m not a robot” at the very end. Do this as soon as possible so the state and county have time to catch up with you. Again, the registration deadline is October 9.

Registered voters who need to look up their polling place can do that at EPPN also. Click on the same “Register to vote!” button then, below “Already registered?”, select the option that meets your needs. My information came right up, although I had to scroll up to see it. If you registered with a false birthdate to protect your confidentiality, possibly you will run into a problem. Let me know if it happens, and we’ll attempt a recovery.

Absentee voting:

If you must be out of town on Tuesday, November 6, here is the absentee ballot website. https://www.philadelphiavotes.com/

Highlight the Voters tab at the top and scroll down the menu about halfway to absentee & alternative ballots. You must print the application, fill out the required information, and return the completed application to: Philadelphia County Board of Elections, City Hall Room 142, 1400 John F. Kennedy Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19107. The deadline is 5pm on Tuesday, October 30, 2018.

How you can help with our voter engagement efforts:

St. Martin’s will be doing voter registration at the Fall for the Arts Festival on Sept. 30 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Volunteers to help register people using their cell phones (or yours) would be appreciated. Please call me at 330.7054795.

Blessings,

The Rev. Carol Duncan, deacon